


(VIXX)ard of Oz

by LiviaWavern14



Category: VIXX
Genre: #alltheregret, #noregrets, #why do I do this to myself?, Angst and Humor, Attempt at Humor, Crack Treated Seriously, Cyborgs, Don't Judge, Eongdeongie! My little Bada$$, Hey, I'm giving the side characters their own stories in a while, Like, Lions, Magical Realism, Scarecrows, Taekwoon is a little shit, Tigers and Bears Oh My!, Witchcraft, all the references, and then there's realism, best I could do, hence, i went overboard, idol cameos, ish, seriously, there's magic, to some degree
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 16:10:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14047974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiviaWavern14/pseuds/LiviaWavern14
Summary: Sanghyuk was not expecting to be Dorothy, but he was greeted by the view of corn and heard the snuffling of his friend's dog at his feet.I guess we're not in Seoul anymore, Eongdeongie.





	(VIXX)ard of Oz

**Author's Note:**

> This will be the main story, but there will be a short collection of stories for the other members of VIXX to explain their story in greater detail. Those will have their own warnings, but for this one, be aware that everyone is a little sad, Ravi is the only one who is reeeeally sad here (mentions of human experimentation), Sanghyuk is a sweetheart, and Eongdeongie solves everything.
> 
> Except for Taekwoon. He pees on Taekwoon.
> 
>  
> 
> Warning: If you are offended by a multitude of commas, run as far away as humanly possible.

 

* * *

  
“Ya, Eongdeongie, what has your human gotten me into this time?”

The French Bulldog snorted and nuzzled the leg of the towering body standing. A deep sigh was released by the giant and he knelt down to his friend’s pet. Gently scratching between the dog’s large ears Sanghyuk was cautiously looking around what appeared to be an empty portion of corn field.

“Oh-kay~” Sanghyuk began, “I don’t think we have any cornfields in Seoul, so, I’m guessing we’re _not_ in Seoul anymore”

“Well, if that’s your logic, then _I_ could’ve told you _that,_ genius”

Sanghyuk rolled his eyes out of habit, before he realized that Jaehwan wasn’t actually there and frantically turned towards the voice.

“Jaehwan-hyung, why are you attached to a pole!”

“No clue. But, honestly, do I look like a Jaywonyoung?”

Sanghyuk halted his intent motions towards ( _Jesus, if this isn’t hyung why didn’t he mention a twin!_ ) Jaehwan through the corn and blinked heavily to convey his disbelief. He looked back at Wonshik’s dog, and seeing the happy slobbering mess move towards his friend, felt his jaw relax to the point that his mouth was opened. Turning his head to ( _not!Jaehwan?_ ), he widened his eyes in question.

“What? _I_ don’t know! Who is Jaywonyoung?”

Another heavy blink, a lengthy pause only interrupted by the grunting noises of Eongdeongie working his way towards the apparent scarecrow between yellowed cornstalks, before Sanghyuk responded, “Sorry, wrong person. And ‘hyung’ isn’t part of his name”

“Great, fine, well, I hope my butchering the name isn’t enough for you to leave me here by any chance? I’d really like to get down, and nobody comes wandering into cornfields for some reason”

Admitting the point to himself silently, Sanghyuk asked, “When I get behind you to loosen whatever is keeping you up, would you be alright with me lifting you up first? I’m pretty sure you’ll fall on your face otherwise.”

“Mr. Knight-in-shining-armor, I’m made of straw. At least I think I am. Mostly. Maybe. But don’t worry! If I fall on my face, and it does hurt, you can tell me you told me so”

Sanghyuk nodded, but inwardly thought, _T_ _hat’s really not the reason I asked. I just feel terrible about the idea of hyung getting a face plant_. Burying his thoughts for the moment, he didn’t have to reach very far up before his fingers made contact with the back of the man’s neck. The resulting wiggle and giggle were so very Jaehwan, that Sanghyuk decided now was as good a time as any to figure out who the hell this was.

“By the way, my name is Sanghyuk”

Continuing to giggle slightly, the man replied, “Ken! And stop tickling me!”

Murmuring an apology, Sanghyuk began gently working out the large stake that seemed to have pierced through the back of (the apparently named) Ken’s shirt. The stake finally gave way to Sanghyuk’s leverage, and Ken rapidly tumbled to the ground. Eongdeongie, having observed the proceedings, quickly came up to the sprawled figure and began tugging at the holey cotton covering his legs.

“Boy, thanks for getting me off of there! Doggie, could you not eat my pants, please? Thank you. What’s his name?”

Snaghyuk could only dumbly reply, “No problem Ken-sshi, he’s Eongdeongie”

The Jaehwan-look-alike had by then sat upright, and continued to pet and scratch the wriggling creamy white dog. “I think your owner is confused. Are you a ‘she’ or a ‘he’?” Jaehwan asked rhetorically. His broad-rimmed hat was worn and tattered, and at the angle his head was bent to pet the bulldog, Sanghyuk couldn’t make out most of the facial features that were near identical to his friend’s. Sanghyuk made a quick decision that if there was ever a chance to hang formality, now was the time.

Internally cringing, Sanghyuk began, “So, Ken,” the man looking up at Sanghyuk’s questioning tone, “ _how_ did you get attached to the pole again?”

Smiling widely, Jae- _Ken_ , with a happy tone replied, “No fucking idea!”

“Ah” _Right,_ Sanghyuk chastised himself, _he said as much just a minute ago. Well done brain._

“How did _you_ wander into the cornfield?”

Sanghyuk decided that repeating the man’s previous response verbatim was not going to solve anything and instead replied, “Don’t really know actually. It seems like I was dropped there for no reason.” Ken made an exaggerated face of confusion (complete with childish pout), and stood up quickly. Taking a few steps, he took Sanghyuk’s wrist in his hand, and shook it vigorously. Feeling very little, except annoyance, Sanghyuk irritably asked, “Yah! J-Ken, what are you doing?”

“But you’re not made of straw! How did you not get hurt falling from the sky?!”

Sanghyuk could feel the urge to eye-roll again.

“Would you like help getting home, Mr. Angel?”

The urge to eye-roll only increased further. With some modicum of self-restraint, Sanghyuk replied, “I’m afraid I’m not an angel, but I would very much like help getting home with Eongdeongie”

The scarecrow looked down at the wriggling dog at their feet, and smiled widely. Looking back up at the taller man, Ken responded, “I can do that! The crows have talked about a building nearby, mostly ‘cause they’re nesting there now, but it’s supposed to be big and fancy!”

Feeling a measure of relief that he could trust his hyung to care, and a bit of concern at the idea of talking crows or the man talking to crows, Sanghyuk merely replied, “Then lead the way”

* * *

“I spy, with my little eye, something black!”

“Eongdeongie’s collar”

“Nooo~”

A brief look around, “That rock” and a general waving in that direction.

“Noooooooo~”

Mentally Sanghyuk considered what Jaehwan would have done at home to be funny. A sigh escaped from Sanghyuk’s lungs, and he asked, “Your shadow?”

“Ooooh! So close! But no”

“My shadow”

“Nope!”

“Eongdeongie’s shadow”

“We have a winner! And the crows go wild! Hahc Hahc!”

While they had already left the cornfield behind, Ken directed them to a nearby hill gentle brushed with foliage. Apparently, as Ken understood it, the building was on the other side of the ‘mound with 5 pines’, as the crows described. The description, and assumption behind a building in the middle of nowhere, did not prepare Sanghyuk for the appearance and size of the place upon cresting the hill.

“Okay, that’s a really creepy building, and you suggest walking _towards it?_ ”

“Hyukkie, I don’t think you realize, this place has all the hallmarks of a dangerous research facility with evil masterminds that pull giant angels and innocent doggies from one place to another! The barbed wire atop the fences, broken windows, and a convenient hole for our heroes to squeeze through! It’s meant to be!”

“Nothing about what you’ve described makes me any less concerned for your sanity or this situation”

“Oh! Well, the crows have told me that I have a soft brain. Does that make you feel better? Knowing for sure?”

Sanghyuk closed his eyes in stupefacation, letting his head fall back slightly and mentally preparing himself for a mad scheme with pretty much guaranteed no personal benefit. _At least it’s still Jaehwan-hyung doing it basically, so the “soft-brain” is about the same_ , Sanghyuk thought with impressive irreverence. “Ken, I understand you want to help me bring Eongdeongie home, but I’m sure we could find another way of doing that than breaking into an abandoned facility”

Ken immediately responded, “But maybe they left a time machine or portal to Mars!”

* * *

Sanghyuk was looking around at the room. Piles of shattered animatronics, humanoid shaped, but inflexible androids, and loose equipment were bathed in an artificial grey-blue light. A jungle of wires and broken machinery hung from the ceiling like vines, painting a rather gloomy and grim picture. Turning to the curious face(s) behind him, he flatly stated, “Well done, you brought us to a machine graveyard; not a portal to be found”

A voice drawled out, “Well, how about that. I had no idea that the term ‘graveyard’ could apply to machines that were never alive. Give the man a fancy medal for his discovery”

Eongdeongie quickly made his way over to another familiar ( _not_ _human?_ ) face, left on a stand and somewhere in the middle of being constructed or deconstructed. Sanghyuk knew this face too, although the sarcasm seemed a bit excessive even for his friend. Erring on the side of caution, Sanghyuk gave no indication that this person was familiar, and simply asked, “We’re sorry to bother you, but what happened here?”

( _Hongbin?_ ) looked at him, furrowed brows, slightly tensed nostrils ( _yeah,_ _I know that look;_ _definitely Hongbin,_ Sanghyuk thought hysterically) and a general air of judgment for his life choices. The cyborg bent his neck to look down in an organic manner, and saw the licking dog at his feet.

“Aish, seriously? I don’t hate dogs or anything, but my servos really don’t need dog drool on top of the dust.”

“Sorry,” Sanghyuk began, ignoring the muttered _You’d better be_ , and soldiered on, “That’s Eongdeongie, I’m watching him for my friend Wonshik. My name is Sanghyuk, and this is J-Ken,” gesturing to himself and the scarecrow as he mentioned their respective names with a small fumble.

“Hongbin”

“Wait, he’s not your dog? You lied to me?!”

Sanghyuk could no longer hold in the urge; he brought both hands up to his face and rubbed at it in consternation.

* * *

“I’m beginning to think I was brought here exclusively to remove people from their coat hangers.”

“It seems unlikely, especially as I was not on a coat hanger”

Sanghyuk sighed, while Hongbin marched over to a console, brushing off debris from the lower screen. “Sir, if you could rip out that fiber optic cabling above your head and bring it over here?”

Ken looked around in confusion, while Sanghyuk looked up and to his right at the string-like translucent material, looking as fragile as spun sugar or rice noodles.

Grabbing a handful and yanking, a stiff sound like ripping of hair reverberated in the high-ceilings of the room.

Hongbin furrowed his brows slightly in contemplation. “Hmmm, that didn’t appear all that difficult for you either.” Face relaxing, he walked to one of the piles of androids in the corner and took out some part from the nearest broken marionette. He requested, “Bring it here, please?” and returning to the console, opened a panel below the station.

Cabling in hand, Sanghyuk walked over to the (Cyborg? Android?) with some trepidation. The mechanical man seemed to ignore the caution, grabbing the cabling with some delicacy and feeding lines into the open conduit. Sanghyuk began looking for Eongdeongie, who had seemingly wandered off in the moments of inattention, and Ken. Finding the latter quickly (jumping as high as he could to try and rip out his own set of cables), Sanghyuk began looking for the sly dog.

Hearing the steady and quick motions of a person in their element, followed by the cursing of someone who was not, Sanghyuk left the room.

“Eongdeongie! Eongdeongie, if you get lost, I’m going to have to deal with Wonshik-hyung’s crying”

A bark. Sanghyuk followed the echoing sound, peeking his head around a corner of the clinically cold corridors. “You are in so much trouble young man” Sanghyuk joked.

Eongdeongie turned his back on the human to continue his scratching attempt at break-in. While there seemed to be no reason to fear that other people were in the facility, Sanghyuk approached the steel door cautiously. Aware of the happily observing dog at his feet, Sanghyuk turned the metal doorknob, and strode through a wall of sound.

It was passionate. Angry and sorrowful. Fearing and feeling that the memories and experiences the artist had weren’t enough. That the person that left him was both what caused him to feel pain and what caused him to feel at all. That the hardest part was trying to hold those memories and not being able to.

Sanghyuk, having been bobbing to the music, could hardly mistake the deep resonant voice of one of his other hyungs. “That’s amazing W-what’s your name?” he asked, remembering that this was probably not _Wonshik_ -Wonshik ( _but what about Hongbin?_ )

The Wonshik look-alike, stiffened slightly and rather slowly turned his head to the questioning voice. Eongdeongie quickly made his own way to the large glass room encasing his daddy, back-wall covered by a translucent white sheet. In a sweetly stupid mistake, Eongdeongie went full force into the transparent wall of the (cell? _cage?_ ), and both Sanghyuk and the red haired man went to the now-stunned dog. The Wonshik-copy was unable to make contact being inside a glass house, but he was cooing and comforting the dog vocally. A long tail was trailing behind as he knelt, and his rather large red mane was in contact with the glass.

Deciding to serve as the vehicle for the imprisoned man’s evident dog-adoration (and ignoring the voice complaining, _Is anyone human around here?_ ), Sanghyuk began to pet and scratch the canine. Once ( _notWonshik, notWonshik_ ) was merely repeating variants of “cute”, “so silly”, “such a sweet doggie”, Sanghyuk smiled and apologized, “I’m sorry to interrupt and for having startled you, but I still don’t have your name”

Neither the booming laughter nor the high giggles Sanghyuk had come to associate with this hyung made an appearance. Instead a slightly shy, slightly hoarse, and still deep, “Ravi,” was spoken.

The younger smiled again in reassurance, and asked, “Do you want me to get you out of here?”

The man ( _Ravi_ ) went still again, and shuddered slightly and the motion was further emphasized by the waves it caused in his hair. Frowning, Sanghyuk asked if he was alright.

“Just goosebumps,” Ravi reassured quietly, “but you’d probably have to break in through the back of the room”

Still frowning in concern, Sanghyuk made his way past the clear three walls and curtained back. He found that there was another half of the room, one filled with all the equipment to conduct a macabre science experiment.

Sanghyuk was appalled, and began searching for a seam or button that might reveal an entry-point. While he searched, he continued speaking with Ravi as if there was nothing to fear. “Your music is amazing by the way! Powerful, and you have a lot of meaning. I’m sure you’ve- ( _been working on it for a long time, here in your cage, while people-, no don’t say that!_ ) tried a lot of things ( _idiot!_ ). You’re incredibly skilled from what I heard”

Silence came from the other side of the curtain, making Sanghyuk consider if perhaps it cut off sound somehow or he had scared the man. He mentally ranted, _What kind of dangerous animals put someone like Wonshik-hyung in a cage to be an experiment. Heartless bastards. And to leave him!_

While Sanghyuk was internally monologuing over the havoc he would wreck upon those that harmed his hyung, he heard some shifting, a small sniffle, and the clicks of dog’s nails making contact with glass. Hoping Eongdeongie could provide some comfort, Sanghyuk accidentally knocked his foot against the lower corner of one of the walls, and the entire panel retracted into the floor. About to rush into the room, Sanghyuk paused.

“Wo-Ravi? I opened it. Can you come out on your own?”

The continued silence was heartbreaking, and Sanghyuk was glad he had not burst straight through the swaying curtain. _How many times might he have been hurt that way?_ He asked himself, and he wanted to cry.

A weak, “Could-” began from the other side, before a shaky inhale and exhale was heard. Ravi continued, “could you put your hand through, under the curtain?”

Sanghyuk wasn’t certain how that would help, but while he was about to let out agreement, he needed to know they could both get out. “I don’t know if I could open the room again from the inside, Ravi. But, I can get my friends to come here now so they could open it if we get stuck”

The pause was loaded. Voice filled with emotion, an entreating “please” appeared.

Making use of his long limbs, Sanghyuk ate up the distance to walk to the front of the glass, and saw Eongdeongie was licking the glass where Ravi’s hand was pressed. At the man’s wet gaze, Sanghyuk’s own eyes moist, he asserted, “I’ll be back with at least one of them in a few minutes. Take care of Eongdeongie for a bit for me?”

The wobbly smile Wonshik- _Ravi_ released was all the reassurance Sanghyuk needed to know he would be okay.

* * *

“Welcome back Hyukkie! Hongbin was being mean, saying you left forever!”

Jaehw- _Ken_ ( _dammit, he can’t keep doing this_ ) was pouting again, but Sanghyuk was on a mission.

“I will not abandon anybody! But I need your help. In fact, Hongbin, I know you don’t know me, and Ken, you just met me a bit ago, but I need help getting Ravi out of his cage. It looks like I could get stuck while doing it”

Ken’s eyes widened and he asked with joking dismay, “You’re freeing somebody else too? Seriously, Knight-in-shining-armor or Angel, take your pick now for a nickname. Sure I’ll help!”

Sanghyuk smiled, though he ignored the teasing nicknames, and looked to Hongbin. The cyborg looked back blandly, and said, “I will be finishing my exterior reconstruction, and help you all make your way to the witch. Chances are better a witch or wizard could get you home than the dilapidated equipment around here, and the former is closer”

Not showing his surprise or confusion ( _witch?_ ), Sanghyuk bowed down, saying, “Thank you” while Ken turned back to the mechanical man. In a sober tone, he addressed Hongbin with encouragement, “He hasn’t left yet, instead when he lets you out of your prison, he leaves _with_ you”

Sanghyuk, assuming he missed something, asked Ken to come quickly and did not notice the conflict in Hongbin’s face.

Walking with purpose, Ken and Sanghyuk got back to the room, and opened the door once more to music. Unlike the aggression and sadness of the earlier song, this was quiet but building jubilance, speaking of rebirth and of freedom, and Sanghyuk heard Ken pause at the lyrics.

Making their way to the spot where Eongdeongie was curled into a comfortable ball and Ravi’s back was resting against the glass as he rapped, Sanghyuk decided to rest his own back against the glass partition. Ken, not having the same patience, knelt next to the Bulldog and stroked the fuzzy belly. This resulted in a wet snuffle and Ravi to turn in confusion, so Ken took the opportunity to press his face against the glass and say, “Aren’t I the cutest?”

Ravi was quickly enchanted. “Omomomomo, so cute”

 _If this is a fever dream,_ Sanghyuk thought with humor, _then I can’t wait to tell Wonshik-hyung he ignored his own dog for Jaehwan-hyung’s pout._

Faced away from the scarecrow and the lion as he was, Sanghyuk pressed his lips together between his teeth in a futile effort to not smile or laugh. “Well, Ken, this is Ravi. Ravi, this is Ken. Would you like him to go in and get you out?”

Ravi, pulled back into reality, looked over at the white sheet preventing him from gaining his freedom. Breaths getting slightly irregular, Sanghyuk put his hand on the panel, “Hey, look at me for a second” and finding his request obeyed, he asked, “Who do you want to go in and help you? We’ll both be here”

A minute passed, and Ravi seemed to steel himself. “I don’t know your name yet, but I want you to come in, please?”

Sanghyuk, very colorfully, cursed himself for the lapse, and smiling outwardly responded, “Thank you for your trust. My name is Sanghyuk”

“I’m staying on this side if you need me. I’ve been calling him Hyukkie, Mr. Knight-in-shining-armor, and Angel, but I will allow you to take _one_ of those nicknames if you’d like. I am a merciful god. Dunno what that means though”

Ken’s humorous approach to the situation caused Sanghyuk to laugh, and Ravi to release a booming cascade of laughter of his own. He seemed to be shocked by the action himself, as if he were unsure over why or how he did it.

Sanghyuk stood up confidently, and walked to the back of the room, where the glass panel was still open. Striding over the threshold, Sanghyuk slowed his steps, remaining casual and unhurried, before speaking softly to the man behind the curtain, “Ready?”

A “yes” traveled through the translucent white plastic. Sanghyuk reached his hand, palm up, underneath the very edge of the curtain, fingers never remaining completely static or uncurled. Feeling the other man gingerly place his hand atop Sanghyuk’s, he asked Ravi, “This is your show, Ravi. What do you want me to do now?”

The hand tightened slightly, and Sanghyuk waited for a verbal response. “I’ll come on your side” Ravi interrupted himself for a wet laugh, “Have to face it at some point”

As their joined hands lifted the bottom of the curtain, Ravi shifted from kneeling fully on the ground to one knee up. Stepping through the white veil, Ravi looked near eye-to-eye with the man who had opened his door. Sanghyuk had moved his body so as to not block Ravi’s view out, but their hand remained gently entwined.

“Can I have a hug?”

* * *

Walking through the forest was an unusual experience for Sanghyuk. Partially due to the company with him, but also the forest itself. Having been in Seoul for several years, and in cities when he traveled anywhere else, forests were not exactly the norm. Most of his memories revolved, instead, around the parks and trails he visited with family in his youth (He could hear the teasing now, “Maknae, you’re still young” _No, Hakyeon-hyung, you’re just old, clearly. Old man_ ).

These woods were different from the manicured, maintained spaces with filtered sunlight he remembered. A deer path was in this forest, just wide enough for the troupe to walk single file, rather than the wide paths set up for tourists. The golden tone of sunshine beaming through not-very-dense foliage of home was replaced with the deep dark green of the treetops, preventing most light from reaching the mossy and leaf-littered ground. It was not scary per se, just...unfamiliar. Dark because of the trees and encroaching under-story, and not because the space itself screamed “ _Witchcraft and Devilry here_ ”. More like, “ _Gardener wanted_ ”.

Part of that may have related to the fact that the witch Hongbin was leading them to was one of those candle-making, protection-weaving types. As opposed to the more garden variety psycho. The feeling of the environment, Hongbin said, had something to do with the magic of the wielder influencing the space around them. Granted, that was related to the lab the cyborg was in when they freed him from his stand, but Sanghyuk had to make due with the information he was provided and the bizarre logic this world seemed to operate on. _After all,_ he thought, _how different can a witch’s forest and cyborg proving ground be?_

Every few minutes, there would be disgusted and terrified whine from the back of the line. Ravi was clearly out of his element with all of the insects, but the twitching tail and brilliant scarlet mane was still occasionally taking Sanghyuk out of his own. The cowering behind Ken was a scene running parallel to Sanghyuk’s memories, where Jaehwan was excitedly holding a cicada to Hongbin’s face while Wonshik looked on with a mixture of awe and fear; awe for Jaehwan’s nonchalance, and fear of the creepy-crawlie.

Here, Ravi was hiding behind a delighted Ken at the approach of a pale butterfly or moth; Sanghyuk would never be able to tell the difference. Certainly he was happy that the horribly mistreated man was finding solace in making a friend.

Hongbin and Ken were making joking jabs about Ravi being a “cowardly lion,” to which his honest response was, “I hate bugs. All bugs! Bugs are not my friends, and I will run away from them because they’re freaky!” causing the three other humanoid companions to laugh.

In his moment of inattention, Sanghyuk felt a sharp thwap to the back of his head and the sound of cracked egg. Head ducking and shoulders hunching in a delayed reaction, he brought a hand to his hair and felt small wet bits of a grainy substance. Bringing his hand around to his nose and sniffing, a bright smell of apple greeted Sanghyuk’s nostrils at the same time as a startled yelp was heard from behind.

“Yah! What was that for?!”

Spinning his head around, Sanghyuk spotted both the source and the cause of the noises. Ken was the source, but a ( _tree?!_ ) wielding a scowling face and apples was the cause of the yelps and complaints. Sanghyuk went over to pick up Ravi and Ken, lifting them like luggage and dodging into a spot behind a pair of trees Hongbin had already hidden in.

Peeking his head out for a moment, he saw Eongdeongie finish his business against the base of the attacking tree, and realized….

Eongdeongie peed on Taekwoon.

…

 _Eongdeongie peed_ on Taekwoon.

 _Well,_ Sanghyuk thought glumly, _at least he’s been housebroken_.

“Eongdeongie peed on the tree...the living tree. Well, all trees are living, but you know what I mean”

The three other members of the party wore frankly horrified looks on their faces (even Hongbin, presumably remembering the discomfort of a dog’s _saliva_ ), and Ken asked, “Is that why he’s throwing things?”

Sanghyuk sighed, “He won’t hurt the dog because he’s cute...we on the other hand are free game”

Hongbin furrowed his brow and asked, “How do you know?”

“Let’s just say I know his type really well” _though Taekwoon-hyung needs to stop being so violent._

Ravi, having enough of hiding behind a tree for something they should not be blamed for, began walking around the hiding spot as the three members behind observed mutely. While Ravi opened his mouth to speak, Taekwoon threw an apple with precision towards the lion’s nose. Having ducked effectively, and whirling angrily towards the rude apple tree, Ravi saw the slight smile on the magical flora’s face.

And then he snapped.

“* **beep*** dog you psychopath * **beep* *beep* *beep*** why are you laughing ***beep***?!I’ll pull all your teeth out ***beep* *beep*** What are you looking at you * **beep***!”

Having given up on any civil conversation, Ravi stormed off, Eongdeongie happily waddling behind the bristling man he still recognized as his master, while Ken, Sanghyuk, and Hongbin watched. The animated tree with Taekwoon’s face continued to laugh, gasping for air and clapping his long spindly branch-arms before nearly bending backward entirely and causing his leaves to shudder as if moved by a passing wind.

Sanghyuk decided discretion was the better side valor and merely apologized for Eongdeongie, before following the irate lion. Taekwoon, still gasp-laughing, waved the apology off and the troupe continued on their path to the witch, thinking, _Well, not such a cowardly lion after all._

* * *

“Ah! Welcome!”

The group was ushered in by the beaming man that opened the tower door after their knocks, adorned in a large black hat (looking more like a fashionable sun-hat than a witch-y trademark), and an apron with sprigs of plants and a few tool handles sticking out of the pockets. Sanghyuk, at this point, was hardly even thrown off by his recognition of the sweet grin and graceful gait of the man. He couldn’t help but smile at the familiar scents of homemade candles and preserved flowers that perpetually followed Hakyeon around in his world. Here, the warmly lit space was equally scented with spices, herbs, and other plants Sanghyuk could not name, emphasizing that this was not the same man he knew back home. He registered the deep inhalation and happy sigh behind him, and assumed it came from their resident lion.

“I’m sorry if the smells are too strong for you.” Witch-Hakyeon had continued speaking, bustling around the room and clearing off a section of a dining table as a tea set began to bubble away without any obvious human involvement. “I have been working on a batch of spell-works for the people of Munchkin-land. They recently had a run-in with some nasty pixies last week, and a few of the families are still feeling a bit wound-up after all their antics”

As he spoke, two chairs from another room gently hovered through the door and made their way to the table he finished cleaning. Two carafes of tea and a set of oddly shaped ceramic mugs floated over with equally disquieting ease.

Sanghyuk decided that, as the apparent leader ( _and isn’t that a trip_ , he griped) he would reassure the man in front of them. “I can’t speak for my hy-friends, but I think it’s very nice actually. Do you put all of your spells into candles?”

The dark-haired and hatted man laughed ( _oh, Hakyeon-hyung, I keeping forgetting how happy you look unstressed_ ), responding easily, “It’s more a personal touch. Some mages and witches just wave hands or brew teas for their clients; I make candles”

Hongbin inserted himself into the conversation, asking a slew of questions in rapid succession, “Do you find that because the smells and wax linger on fabrics, woods, and the air the magic remains in the space longer? Or do you just sell a lot of the same candles to people? How do you sustain the magic in the candles when beeswax has its own magical properties that might fight your spells?”

The witch grinned once more, tapping his nose and winking. “Trade secrets”

Ken, having been easily distracted by his curiosity of the room they were in, suddenly yelled out in surprise. “Sir! Mr. Witch, your fire didn’t burn me!”

A small “hmph” came from the shorter man who turned towards the loud exclamation, and he responded “Well, I wouldn’t be much of a witch if I left things burning when I wasn’t going to be working on it. I put that whole project in suspension when I heard you knock-,” but seeing the scarecrow completely ignore him, instead excitedly waving his hands through the still flames, he stopped himself. Smiling with just a hint of irritation at being ignored, he changed the subject. “I’m afraid I don’t know all your names. Feel at ease here and don’t worry. I don’t have control over names the way others do,” and taking a short bow, simply stated, “My name is N”

Introducing each of their group, Sanghyuk watched as N looked each of them in the eye with a small smile and a nod. When Sanghyuk introduced Eongdeongie (who had wriggled under a folded blanket to settle down for a nap), the smile was a touch confused; teeth closed, lips slightly open, and blinks emphasized. Turning back to Sanghyuk after observing the snoring dog, N gestured to the group to sit and questioned, “So, how can I help you today?”

As the lion and the cyborg sat down to the table and began to explain the situation, Sanghyuk came over to the cauldron holding Ken’s attention. Gripping the back of the scarecrow’s neck with one hand and taking an elbow in the other, he brought the wayward straw-man to the table. Seating himself Sanghyuk found four sets of eyes on him, and he placidly stared back to the angular pair of the witch’s.

“Mr. Hongbin and Mr. Ravi have explained that they are, in fact, merely following _you_ on _your_ journey Mr. Sanghyuk. Please don’t mind that they didn’t explain themselves as I prefer to hear people’s requests from them directly”

Hearing N’s explanation, Sanghyuk gestured casually to the noise factory behind him. “We were dropped into a cornfield through no means of our own, and would like to go home”

The witch’s eyebrows quirked up briefly and returning to rest. “I’m afraid I will need more information than that before I can help you. Have you recently disturbed any flutterby nests?”

“I have no idea what those are”

A small eyebrow twitch again. “Did you trick a ricamarol to transport you at any point in the past?”

“Again, I have no idea what a ricamarol is? Eongdeongie and I weren’t even in the same room last that I remember. I was watching a movie with his owner earlier in the day, and went out to pick up some drinks from the store a few doors over”

N’s eyebrows had been dancing throughout Sanghyuk’s explanation, something that Sanghyuk was sure he had _not_ seen Hakyeon do before, and was moderately impressed by. Being brought back to the present by Hak- _N’s_ voice, Sanghyuk heard, “I know that most of the people around here know of me as a powerful witch, but really, I’m skilled in the magics that are useful to them, like wards on houses against hexes and evil sprites or spells for inspiration and motivation. Transport is not part of my skill-set”

Ravi looked heartbroken at the news, and Ken seemed equally unhappy. Hongbin, on the other hand seemed intrigued and suggested, “But you know someone who does have that skill-set?”

When the group looked at N, he was smiling again, but with a tense displeasure that Sanghyuk recognized from his hyung.

“And you don’t trust them” Sanghyuk evenly remarked.

N stood up and began to serve the teas. Understanding the atmosphere, the troupe observed the ritual and found their preferred sweeteners and additives floating to their sides. The whiffs of black and white teas (ginger and cinnamon, lemon and sage) quickly spread out across the table. After the tea had been poured N remained standing and walked over to a bookshelf holding mainly boxes.

Taking one box gently off the shelf, the top was removed by invisible hands and set down in the empty spot. N removed a set of large cards too big to be for card games. Letting go of the box, the witch made his way over to another smaller table, while the magic put the container back in its place.

The man began taking cards out of the deck, shuffling and adding a card here or there, before shuffling again. He laid out ten cards, creating a pattern with six, and a line with four.

From the distance the group was from N’s table, they decided to sit down and relax for a while longer.

* * *

A while longer turned into a little over an hour, and both Ravi and Ken had joined Eongdeongie on the couch for a nap. The dog had gotten up soon after N sat down to whine for food and while N had not stopped his reading of the tarot cards, a magic hand seemed to poke the back of Sanghyuk’s neck, before another opened up a cabinet.

Spotting deep flat dishes, Sanghyuk got up out of his seat and took out two dishes for water and food, while another cabinet opened. He watched as a pan floated from the open cabinet door, only to be settled on the stovetop. Sanghyuk continued to stare expectantly, until the pan rattled on the stove, as if expecting something. He quickly turned on the burner, while a beaker of oil came over to pour the light gold liquid into the warming pan. Hearing the suction of a refrigerator opening and then closing, Sanghyuk turned in time to see a parchment wrapped fillet of salmon unravel. A cob of cooked corn was cut so there was a pile of kernels, the salmon was flipped, and the smell of honey was once more in the air, with what seemed to be a honeyed corn and salmon pan dish. Sanghyuk felt in the way, so he filled one of the dishes with water and set it down for the pet.

Eongdeongie appreciated it given the fervor in which he lapped up the water. About 12 minutes later, the pan rattled again on the stove top, while Sanghyuk had been cleaning the counters in some attempt to be useful. He quickly turned the burner off, but had no idea who the dish was for. He decided to leave it, in case it was Hakyeon’s lunch, and give the man a few minutes before asking if there was something for Eongdeongie.

A few minutes later, the salmon and corn was poured into the other dish Sanghyuk had pulled out, and set beside the refilled water dish.

“That is both the fanciest and most simple meal I could imagine. Four ingredients, fresh, and they’re for a dog”

Sanghyuk couldn’t help but agree to some degree with Hongbin’s assessment, but he felt it best to defend the action. “Well, Eongdeongie has been a great help with Ravi and Ken, so I feel he’s earned it” Sanghyuk amended himself slightly, “though I would have preferred to avoid the angry anthropomorphic tree”

Hongbin hummed in agreement, before getting lost in thought as Sanghyuk cleaned the pan in the sink.

Some time later, “So, his magic can’t turn on a stove burner, but it can turn on an electric kettle?”

“My magic can allow an item to press a button, but I cannot turn a knob with that magic the same way. There are too many limiting factors”

Hongbin and Sanghyuk looked up at the witch, who had a resigned look on his face. N looked amused at the sight of two grown men entwined like cats on his couch, and suggested the conscious two wake the rest of their party.

“All I can suggest for you to do is visit the Wizard of Oz. He is as powerful as I am, but he should be able to transport you safely,” N’s statement was broken off by his own sigh while the two previously sleeping men rubbed the nap from their eyes. He continued, “I don’t think you’ll have any major problems there, but you will need to speak with respect to him. He prefers people bow to his power. Stupid grandstander.”

Muttering those last lines to himself, N began again more audibly, “If you look out my window, you will see a yellow-brick road. That’s the best way to travel to Oz from this point on. Be grateful you weren’t on it a bit earlier, my older sister hasn’t been taking care of the magic on her side of the forest, and my brother likes to scare people making their way to Oz for any reason. People on the paths to my home are protected”

The group thanked him for his advice, and Sanghyuk also thanked him for feeding Eongdeongie, to which N simply waved away the thanks. “It was the least I could do, and I’m sure he needed it” N claimed, bending down to the dog, cooing, “He’s such a strong brave boy! Yes, aren’t you!” and then looking up at Sanghyuk who felt he was missing some subtext.

While the others made their way to the door, and Eongdeongie quickly abandoning his most recent admirer at Ravi’s call, Sanghyuk addressed N, “So you mentioned that some people have skills you don’t and that some witches ‘wave hands and make teas’, but you never told us if you do that too.”

N had been brushing off his pants to resettle them after his petting of the canine while Sanghyuk asked his question. N made a few rapid blinks at the non-sequitur, and levelly replied, “For me, I will never make something for someone else with magic that they haven’t asked for themselves.”

“So the tea...”

A reassuring smile, “Was just tea”

Sanghyuk looked down at his feet, and shuffled them briefly. Awkwardly, he quickly replied, “it was good tea thank you again hope you have a nice day hyung” and rapidly made his way out the door and towards his companions.

Eyes still latched on the departing back, the witch indulgently smiled at the young but mature man that ran out his home. Closing the open door and sitting down at the table with the cards, he picked up one of them and sighed. “You’ll get home Hyukkie, because you’ll wake up soon”

Looking around at his workspace, Hakyeon shrugged. “Might as well get some more candles made till they come back”

* * *

“What are you doing here!”

A booming voice caused the group of four people and a dog to fall to the ground in an a startled puppy pile. Eongdeongie built a deep and wet growl in his squat body and Ravi, being at the top of the pile and able to quickly roll off, began to gently pet and talk to the unhappy canine. Bulldog distracted, the others quickly scrambled up and pushed Sanghyuk to the front (though cyber-Bin would forever deny pushing the man) before trying to hide behind each other.

Sanghyuk had enough time to hear Ravi mutter, “And you call me the cowardly lion” before the massive voice around them projected again, “Why have you returned without the fan? And what spell caused you to grow?”

While confused, Sanghyuk bowed, and began, “Great Wizard, Master of Oz, we have not come to your attention before. This will be our first meeting-”

“Nonsense!” the Wizard interrupted, causing the four beings behind Sanghyuk to jump again in surprise. “I sent you to the home of the Witch N for his magical battle fan, and you come back with nothing! Madam, you have failed and neither you nor your handmaidens will be returned home!”

Sanghyuk was struck dumb, gaping at the clearly blind wizard, while the remaining members of the party (see: Ken) were trying to look at each other and themselves for changes in their anatomy in the past five minutes.

* * *

The party was making excellent time, Ravi’s holding the rather hefty dog only slightly slowing him down, but Sanghyuk pressed on when he heard yelling and some kind of drumbeat. It sounded too much like the films he watched on ancient warfare, with the drums and shouting, and he hoped they had enough time to stop-

A group of young women (though Sanghyuk could only assume this based on the hair and short stature from a distance) finished a complex dance routine and one broke formation to get into N’s face (chest) as if to dare him.

N was backed by faceless, hanbok-clad figures, each wielding a large metallic fan and completely still in their two line formation. As the woman returned to her side, N began a sharp routine of turns, bending elbows and spreading arms while the faceless men behind him took up the dance with unnerving synchronicity.

“Are they...having a dance battle?”

Sanghyuk responded to Ravi’s baffled question, “Sure looks like it. Think we should intervene?”

Surprisingly, Hongbin was the one to interject first. “No, not yet. I recognize one of the women. N is not in danger at the moment”

Both man and lion turned to the cyborg (Ravi having set Eongdeongie down already, and Ken collapsing happily under the dog’s tender mercies) and Sanghyuk broached the topic warily. “How do you know her? What happened?”

Hongbin looked out hauntedly, “Let’s just say that we ended messily”

Sanghyuk “ahhed” in understanding. Gripping the cyborg’s shoulder in solidarity, he began, “Break-ups are no easier when the person is crazy” trying to commiserate with Hongbin’s statement.

Hongbin blankly looked at the taller man, and responded, “Or when you have to disassemble yourselves to run from The Man”

Eyes wide, Sanghyuk patted the shoulder under his hand. “Yeah, or that”

Looking back over to the scarecrow who had been joined by Ravi in mutual French Bulldog appreciation, Sanghyuk asked the two, “And you don’t think we should get involved either?”

Ken brought only his head up from where he was lying with his back on the grass. “I think Hakyeon has this under control,” and dropped his head back onto the ground, “I'm much happier watching him wield those fans while petting a happy puppy”

Sanghyuk admitted defeat, and sat down closer to the “performance”, and realized he recognized all but one of the female dancers. _Well, I guess Gugudan is also getting the chance to appear in the middle of nowhere,_ he thought, before frowning. _That’s kind of weird._

N’s set finished with a flourish, and was followed by a whine that carried on the breeze to the audience. “See, this is why I don’t give references. Ariga _to_ gozai _masu”_ he said sarcastically.

“Haky-N? Did you want help or is everything fine?”

Both sides of the battleground turned their heads towards Sanghyuk, with the exception of the clay golems N seemed to have created. Feeling exposed, he waved to both sides, “Sorry to bother you, but we thought there might be trouble, and the Wizard thought we were these women”

From behind him, Sanghyuk heard a loud, “I felt emasculated!” from a brightly pitched voice. He closed his eyes and shook his head in embarrassment.

 _And yet it’s Taekwoon and I that are involved in the least cross-dressing or girl-dances,_ Sanghyuk thought in good humor. _But Jaehwan-hyung did dress up before_ , he thought confused ( _Right, not Jaehwan-hyung, this is Ken?_ )

A smooth tenor teased, “I’ve seen you in a dress and wig Jaehwannie, and you looked pretty good” ( _Oh, so it is Jaehwan-hyung. Hi, hyung. Why am I thinking he’s-_ )

A deep voice piped in, “I was there, I couldn’t understand how you were so pretty”

A more nasalized voice gave its two cents, “But I still looked better, even if that was not what I thought would be part of my job as an idol” ( _Hongbin and Wonshik aren’t idols, they’re cybor- they’re lion- they’re Hongbin and Ravi? No, they’re-_ )

Sanghyuk felt heavy and as if there was something happening again, and again. Sanghyuk felt heavy and as if there was something happening again, and Sanghyuk felt heavy like the scene was playing again, and again. He wanted to move his leg forward, but was stuck was stuck was stuck to the ground. Where was everybody? Why couldn’t he open his eyes?

The gentle tenor was much closer now, but Sanghyuk couldn’t see. “Go wake up Hyukkie. Have fun at home. Wake up Sanghyuk. Hyukkie-”

* * *

“-wake up~! Normally you’re the easy child to wake up. Are you sick Hyogie? Better not be”

Sanghyuk used his arms, buried under his pillow, to bring the edges of said pillow around his ears. Groaning as his hyung sat on him for personal entertainment, Sanghyuk simply laid there in grogginess.

“Sanghyuk, you graduate today, and I am not going to let you sleep in any more on the vacation day I used for work. We’re going to do something more fun than watching girl groups and my old dance videos. We’re going out! I made you tea too”

Creaking out the question, “Black or white”

He could almost hear the confusion, “I made green tea like I always do. Did you want black or white tea? I could probably get some from the store”

Sanghyuk was already shaking his head, and began the arduous task of bringing his legs under his body to throw Hakyeon (gently) off. Feeling the sheets dragging against his shins, he was tempted to remove his hyung and then bury himself once more into the covers.

“Don’t even think about it Hyogie. Be a good dongsaeng, and get up. We’re meeting everyone else in an hour”

A muffled, “We’re leaving at 12 hyung, why are you lying to your cute dongsaeng this early in the morning?” emerged from the pillow-covered head trying to become one with his mattress.

Hearing a judgmental “hmph”, Sanghyuk felt Hakyeon get off his back, and relaxed into the bed. Suddenly he felt an arm slide under his chest and lift. Unprepared, Sanghyuk opened his eyes, and saw four things. One) sunlight was already streaming through the window, Two) Hakyeon had lifted his eyebrows in challenge, Three) his phone was being held in front of his face, and Four) the time read 10:58.

Sanghyuk quickly escaped Hakyeon’s make-shift backhug, and began searching for his day clothes.

Hakyeon laughed, “There’s my Hyogie. Now come on! Taekwoon might be able to give us a discount on lunch if we get to it before the lunch rush, and I want to see Wonshik, Jaehwan, and Hongbin while they can afford to take off school and work” there was a pause, and a sassy, “Sometime today, Crong”

“Yes, hyung”

“So disrespectful”

“I’ll have you know I’m very respectful”

**Author's Note:**

> If you caught every single reference, I would not be surprised, but I would still crown you a Constellation! Highest Order of Starlights! (Except I'm the only one calling them that lolol)
> 
> I wanted to make a crack cross-over of VIXX and Wizard of Oz, but I realized I wanted more backstory, which resulted in quite a bit more angst than I expected. 
> 
> Why am I mean to all the characters I write? :'( 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and if you have any questions, comment or PM me! (first time to offer that, but hey! First time for everything, yeah?)


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